She Acts Like A Woman Should
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Death Trap AU: But not the AU you may be expecting...
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is based on "Falling In Love" and "Death Trap" and is centred around the 'what if' scenario of 'what if Jackie and Brian were going to be married in "Death Trap" instead of "Falling In Love"?' This is what I came up with, I apologise if anyone seems OOC and that a couple of the chapters are so short. Although I borrow heavily from "Death Trap" there are some things that are quite different (as you may well imagine!). The title is from the Marilyn Munroe song of the same name, I thought it kind of fit. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**_She Acts Like A Woman Should  
_**

**Prologue  
**

Jackie woke up with a start.

She wasn't entirely sure what she had been dreaming about but she knew that it was somehow connected to her fast approaching wedding. She remembered being in her gown and feeling a deep sense of loss that was somehow connected to...Michael?

She shook her head, that couldn't right.

Yet as she started to get ready for work she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen, something terrible.

She spent the rest of the day in a kind of surreal daze, trying desperately to shake the feeling of foreboding that seemed to hover over her. She hoped that everyone would be too wrapped up in the new case and wishing her well to notice her distraction.

Obviously she should have expected that Michael would notice.

His hand on her shoulder startled her and she looked up to see his brow creased in concern. "Are you all right, Jackie? You seem a little...distracted."

For a moment she considered telling him she was fine, but this was Michael and she knew he'd see right through her lie. Submitting to the inevitable she confessed that she'd had a strange dream and about her residual feelings from it, but leaving out his connection to it.

"Perhaps it's a sign," she said as she finished, attempting to laugh it off.

He took her cue and smiled, "But you don't believe in signs," he reminded her.

"True," she mused, thoughtfully.

"Not getting cold feet are you, Jackie?" Robbie teased from nearby as he caught the end of their conversation.

"Not on your life," she replied, rousing herself from her thoughts and smiling. She sent Michael a grateful look as he moved off, just talking with someone about it had made her feel better and realise how stilly she was being.

It was just a dream after all.


	2. Chapter One

**_She Acts Like A Woman Should  
_**

Jackie sighed as she regarded her living room, trying to decide what to do with herself. She'd spent most of the morning sorting out her things and packing for her honeymoon and now...she was bored.

She sighed again, she wished she hadn't taken her leave early then she'd have something to do. The murder case for the son of Malcolm Innes that had begun the day she left seemed far more interesting than anything else she could think of doing.

The doorbell rang and she went to answer it, pleased for the distraction.

Michael was the last person she expected to see on the other side of the door.

"I've been taken off the case," he said without preamble, "I thought you might like some company," he added lamely.

Jackie took pity on him and stepped wordlessly to the side, allowing him to enter. "Can I get you anything?" she asked as she ushered him into the living room.

He shook his head as he sank down onto the couch, "No, thank you." After a long moment where Jackie fidgeted nervously, unsure of what to do, he looked up at her, "I'm sorry Jackie, you're probably trying to get ready for your wedding and here I am, getting in your way."

"Nonsense," she scoffed, taking a seat next to him and motioning for him to sit back down as he made to go. "Truth be told, I was bored and I welcome any distraction," she cocked her head to the side, "even you in one of you moods."

"I'm not in one of my moods," he grumbled, making Jackie giggle slightly, he looked at her sideways and smiled a little, "well...maybe a little one," he confessed.

"I knew it," she said with a smile, "well, since you're here, you may as well help me," she continued after a moment.

Michael watched as she went to the kitchen and came back holding two small containers of chocolate ice cream. "What? I can't eat both of them, I won't fit in my dress," she told him at his look, "come on," she cajoled, holding one of the containers towards him; "you don't want me to eat alone, do you?"

Michael took the proffered ice cream with a mock glare, "You and your chocolate," he mumbled and she stuck her tongue out at him.

They ate in companionable silence, which was eventually broken when Jackie asked Michael why he'd been taken off the case. He had just explained about how he had accused Burke of corruption when the doorbell rang for the second time.

"What is this? A party?" she asked as she opened the door to find Robbie and Stuart.

"Mike's here then?" Robbie asked.

Jackie nodded, worry etching her features as she took in their serious faces, "What's going on?" she asked.

Before they could answer, Michael appeared in the hallway behind her, "What are you doing here?" he demanded, the calm he'd found in Jackie's presence evaporating at the sight of them.

"I'm sorry Mike," Robbie began, "he wants your badge."

"What?" Michael bit out, ignoring Jackie's concerned look.

"He thinks you've got something hide," Stuart explained quietly.

"He _what_?" Michael growled, taking a step forward. Jackie stepped in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders, stopping his forward motion.

"Michael, please," she said simply.

Michael looked down at her for a long moment, "You always were my voice of reason," he said finally, fishing out his warrant card. "Take it," he said flatly to the others, thrusting it in Robbie's hands before turning and walking away.

"I think you better go," Jackie said softly, Robbie and Stuart nodded and left silently. Jackie closed the door behind them and took a deep breath before seeking Michael out in the living room.

She found him sitting back on the couch, his head in his hands.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly, taking a few tentative steps towards him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, lifting his head up and looking at her. "I'd better go, you've got enough to worry about without adding me into the mix," he continued, getting to his feet.

"Michael-" she began, but he cut her off.

"Don't worry, Jackie, I'll be fine," he said, sounding deflated. He bent and kissed her cheek, "Thanks for the ice cream," he said, giving her a sad smile and leaving the room.

The door shutting behind him roused her and she rushed after him, "Michael!" she called, opening the door, he turned to look at her. "Don't do anything stupid," she begged, "please."

Michael gave her a wry smile, "You mean more stupid than I have done?" he shook his head, "Like I said, Jackie, don't worry," he told her and walked away.

Jackie watched him go, wanting nothing more than to chase him down the street and throw her arms around him, to comfort him somehow.

But she couldn't.

She was an engaged woman, after all.


	3. Chapter Two

The next day Jackie stood in front of her mirror regarding her reflection with a critical eye.

Standing in her wedding dress, preparing for her wedding was the last place she wanted to be right now. She was worried about Michael, she hadn't heard from him since he'd left the day before and she worried sick about him.

She felt so powerless.

His motives and character were being questioned all she wanted to do was to find some way to help him.

Instead she was in a dress, counting down the hours to her wedding. Wishing that she had some female friends to keep her company and that she could somehow help her best friend.

She started as her phone sounded; grateful for a relief from the mirror she went to check it. She cursed her phone under her breath as she realised it was a voicemail message from the night before. As she replayed the message she made a mental note to get a new phone once she was back from her honeymoon.

She was surprised to hear Michael's voice, but his words shocked her more: _"Jackie, it's Michael here. We need to meet; I've got the goods on Innes. So phone me. Now."_

As the message ended, Jackie felt a wave of fear and she hastily rang him back. "Damn it, Michael!" she swore when she got no answer, she tried his home number next and received the same result. "To hell with it," she muttered and marched out of the door.

She only remembered that she was still in her wedding dress when she noticed the stares she was getting as she strode through the station, she swore softly again as she pushed through the doors leading to her desk.

As she marched in she barely noticed Stuart start choking on his coffee as she zeroed in on Robbie. "Where's Michael?" she demanded.

Robbie's face went from shock to amusement in half a second, "I knew you two were cooking something up when I saw you the other day," he said with a sly grin.

"I'm in no mood for games, Robbie, where is Michael?" she demanded.

Robbie's grin quickly disappeared at her tone, "I don't know, I haven't seen him, he's been suspended, remember?" he reminded her.

Jackie rocked back on her heels slightly, "I couldn't reach him at home, I thought he might be here," she so quietly Robbie almost didn't hear her.

"What's happened?" Robbie asked, concerned.

Jackie shook her head, "I wish I knew," she replied as she marched back out the door.

"What was that all about?" Stuart asked, having recovered from choking.

Robbie was still staring after her, completely baffled, "I have no idea."

It didn't take Jackie long to make it to Michael's place, but when she did her heart stopped.

The door was open; that was never a good sign.

Cautiously she made her way up the stairs, cursing the fact that she hadn't taken the time to change out of her dress, and opened the door.

"Michael?" she called, hearing no response she stepped over the threshold. "Michael?" she tried again, hearing nothing she ventured further into the house, pleased to see that nothing appeared to be out of place. She sucked in a breath when she entered the kitchen and found the empty bottle of whiskey on the sink, "Oh Michael," she breathed.

Her sense of dread increased as she continued her search, noting that his bed hadn't been slept in. "Michael, where are you?" she asked the empty room softly.


	4. Chapter Three

"Well?" Jackie demanded as she watched Robbie look around Michael's kitchen.

"Well what?" he asked.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Robbie, are you always this thick or are you making a special effort today?" Jackie demanded, "About this," she gestured to the whiskey bottle he held in his hand, "and the broken mirror." She paused to look him in the eye, "I think something's happened to Michael."

"Aye, something happened all right, he went on a bender," Robbie told her, replacing the bottle on the sink.

"Oh listen to yourself, this is _Michael_, Robbie, _my_ Michael, he doesn't drink," she stated, folding her arms.

Robbie regarded her for a few moments, wondering if she realised what she'd just said, "Ok," he said finally, "I'll look into it, but don't you have a wedding to go to?" he asked, gesturing to the wedding dress she was still wearing.

"Oh G-d, Brian," she swore softly, rushing out of the room.

"Aye," Robbie said, taking another look around, "Brian," he said to the empty room as he heard Michael's front door slam behind Jackie.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: Just so you know, she's not in her wedding dress for this and the following chapters :)**

"What is so important that it couldn't wait until the wedding?" Brian demanded as Jackie let him in.

"Michael's gone missing," she told him.

Brian looked at her for a moment as he digested this information, "I see," he said in a measured tone.

"No, you don't see," she said, starting to pace the room like a caged animal, "Michael is missing, Brian, _Michael_," she ran a hand through her hair, "and I don't know what to do," she whispered.

"Jackie, will you calm down?"

"He phoned me the night he went missing," she continued as though he hadn't spoken, "and I missed the call, I could have...I don't know, prevented this somehow." She looked at the ceiling, "I should have known he wouldn't let his suspension stop him," she shook her head, "Michael what have you gotten yourself into?" she whispered.

She glanced up and saw Brian watching her closely, "So what do you propose we do about the wedding then?" he asked with forced calm.

"I can't," she confessed, "not without Michael."

"Not without Michael?" Brian demanded, "Jackie, I know you two are close but don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

Jackie raised her chin, "No, I don't," she said simply. "He's my best friend, Brian," she tried to explain as he looked away from her.

"Is that really it Jackie?" Brian demanded, "Or is there more to it than that?" When Jackie didn't comment, Brian shook his head and made to leave. He paused in the doorway, "I don't want you to settle for me, Jackie, I don't want to be who anyone settles for," he told her quietly, he looked up at her, "let me know what you decide," he told her and left.

Jackie followed him, "Brian..." she began, but she trailed off as she caught sight of Stuart standing on the pavement.

There were tears in his eyes and that was when Jackie knew.

"We got a call from Langbank," he told her as he came up her front steps.

Jackie closed her eyes, "Just tell me, Stuart," she said softly, fighting her tears.

"They found Michael, he...he's dead, Jackie," Stuart said, choking slightly on the words.

Jackie opened her eyes and looked at Stuart's tearstained face. She took a shaky breath, before she burst into tears.

Not knowing what else to do, Stuart opened his arms to her and she fell into them gratefully as violent sobs wracked her body.

After a few moments she managed to compose herself enough to speak, "Show me," she said.

She felt Stuart nod and he began to lead her back to the car.

They made the drive to Langbank in silence; Jackie noticed Robbie waiting for them as Stuart parked the car. Feeling numb Jackie exited the car and allowed Robbie to draw her into a hug before she pulled away, "Can we see him?" she asked blankly.

Robbie nodded and, slipping his arm around her shoulders, led her out to where the body lay, covered with a blue sheet.

Fighting back her sobs Jackie broke from Robbie's hold and moved to crouch down in the mud beside the body. Gathering her courage she reached out and pulled back the sheet to expose Michael's face.

She bit back a sob as she regarded him, silently reached out and removed some stray pieces of debris from his face. Tenderly she brushed his hair back from his forehead and stroked his cheek.

It was only when she registered how cold he was to the touch that she realised that this was really it, he was really gone.

She bowed her head and let her tears fall.


	6. Chapter Five

Much later the three of them sat on a bench by the road, watching as Michael's body was driven away to the morgue. Jackie looked up as a man she'd never seen before came to take a seat next to them.

"D.S. Reid, I presume?" he asked, Jackie nodded, "D.C.I. Burke," he said, offering her his hand.*

She stared at it, feeling hatred well up inside of her; this was the man who'd taken Michael off the case. The man who'd had him suspended; if it weren't for him Michael might still have been alive.

But just as quickly as it came, her hatred disappeared and, almost of her own volition, she shook his hand. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances," he said, with what she assumed was regret, but she was really too numb to care about his condolences.

"I understand he visited you yesterday, how did he seem?" she looked up at him, "I mean, were there any signs? Any clues?" he clarified.

"Of what?" she demanded, surprised by how harsh she sounded.

"Depression," he said simply.

"Are you saying you think he killed himself?" she demanded, her old protective instinct towards Michael kicking in.

"I'm saying it's possible, he'd just been suspended, that could have made him desperate," Burke said, keeping his tone neutral.

"No," she said flatly. "Not the Michael Jardine I knew, never," she stated decisively.

Burke gave her a pitying look, "Perhaps you didn't know him as well as you thought," he said as he stood up.

Jackie watched him go, silently fuming.

"Who does he think he is?" she demanded, still watching him.

"He's just doing his job, Jackie, Mike _had_ been drinking," Robbie said, squeezing her hand.

Jackie pulled her hand from his grasp, "Are you saying you believe him?" she demanded, askance.

"You've got to admit, he was pretty shaken up about the whole thing," Robbie commented.

Jackie stood up, eyes blazing, "Yes, he was upset about it, but he wouldn't kill himself. Not Michael, he would have come to me first. I know he would have."

Robbie looked like he was about to reply but Jackie interrupted him, "No, don't say anything," she ordered, "I don't want to hear it." She looked over at Stuart, "Stuart, take me home," she said and, giving Robbie one more disgusted look, walked back to the car.

Stuart gave Robbie an apologetic look as he rushed after her.

...

"Are you going to be all right?" Stuart asked as he pulled up outside Jackie's place.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she assured him, giving him a small smile. "See you at work, hey?" she said as she got out of the car.

"Aren't you getting married?" Stuart asked, confused.

Jackie shook her head, "The wedding's off," she told him as she shut the car door and walked away.

Stuart watched her go in mild shock, wondering what other things were going to change now that Michael was dead.

* In case anyone's confused, Jackie doesn't know Burke in this story because she hasn't been at the station.


	7. Chapter Six

Jackie wasn't surprised to find Brian outside her door later that evening.

"I heard about Michael, may I come in?" he asked.

Jackie shrugged and walked away, leaving the door open behind her.

"I didn't come for a repeat of earlier, Jackie, I just came to see how you were doing," he explained as he watched Jackie silently take a seat. "I thought you might need a friend," he added as he took a seat near her.

"I can't do this," she said finally, looking up at him. "Us," she clarified, "I can't marry you when I...when I'm..." she struggled to find the words.

"When you've been in love with Michael all the time," Brian supplied for her, "don't look so surprised Jackie, I'm not stupid. He's always been the most important person in your life," he added.

"I'm sorry, I've been so unfair to you..." she trailed off as Brian shook his head.

"Forget it Jackie, I'm just glad this all came out before we were married," he told her, regarding her with sad eyes.

Jackie bit her lip, "I can't believe he's gone, Brian, and now I can never tell him."

At the sight of the tears in her eyes any bitterness that Brian may have been nursing dissolved, "I know, Jackie, I'm sorry," he told her gently, taking her hand.

"Burke seems to think he killed himself, even Robbie thinks so," she shook her head, "but I know he wouldn't have done that Brian, I just know it."

Brian regarded her, seeing the conviction in her eyes he nodded, "I believe you Jackie, but how are we going to prove it?"

"We?" she asked softly, looking up at him through her tears.

"Even if you don't love me, Jackie, I still love you," he squeezed her hand, "I'll help you," he promised.

"You're a good man, Brian," she said finally, not knowing what else to say.

Brian gave a self-deprecating snort, "Aye, well, so was Michael."

Jackie nodded, her eyes taking on a faraway look, "Yes he was," she agreed.

Brian covered her hand with his, "We'll find whoever did this Jackie, I promise."

She gave him a sad smile, "Thank you."


	8. Chapter Seven

"You're here early," Robbie commented as he entered the room to find Jackie sitting in front of the TV.

"Couldn't sleep," she said, without looking up.

"What's all this?" he asked, gesturing towards the TV.

"Brian and I are looking at the footage from Kennedy's crash," Jackie told him, eyes still glued to the screen.

"Brian?" Robbie asked, surprised.

Jackie looked up at him, "Yes, Brian. Is there a problem?"

Robbie shook his head, "No problem, I just thought...well, Stuart said that-"

"The wedding is still off," Jackie interrupted him, turning back to the TV, "but he's still my friend."

Robbie took the seat next to her, keeping his eyes on her face, "I'm still your friend Jackie," he told her seriously.

Jackie was about to turn her head to respond when something caught her eye, "Wait, did you see that?" she demanded.

Robbie looked at the screen in confusion, "See what?"

Jackie rewound the tape, "There," she said, pausing the tape and pointing to the screen, "is that a flame?" she asked.

Robbie leaned in for a closer look, "Before the explosion...?"

Jackie nodded, "He rigged it," she said.

They both looked at each other, just as Brian stepped into the room, holding two cups of coffee. "Did I miss something?" he asked.

Jackie turned to him with a smile, "I think we may have cracked it," she said.

Things moved very quickly after that: they found the site where McLean had been held and found out what Kennedy was after. After that several other small things fell into place that when added together formed the reason why Jackie found herself staring down the barrel of Kennedy's gun.

Only her love for Michael and her determination to get to the bottom of his death gave her the strength to look him in the eye and not falter. "Did you kill Michael?" she asked her voice surprisingly level.

"Yeah, I threw him in the Clyde," he responded.

The careless way the words rolled of his tongue almost made Jackie lose her composure. That he could care so little about what he had done shook her to the core.

Then he levelled the gun at her head and turned the safety off, she tried to find a reason to be sorry if he killed her, but found none.

Michael was gone now, what was the point?

But in the end there'd been no need for pointless martyrdom, Kennedy took her with him as a hostage and was eventually dragged away by armed police.

"Well done Jackie," Burke complimented her as they left the building, "I take it you got what you wanted?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, I did." She looked him in the eye, "I found out that I knew him as well as I thought I did," she said coolly.

She walked off, leaving him staring after her.


	9. Chapter Eight

The day of Michael's funeral was a grey affair, which suited Jackie's mood perfectly. Today was supposed to be the first day of her honeymoon, instead it was the day she came to bury her best friend.

Facing the crowd she took a deep breath before she began her speech: "Michael Jardine died as he had lived – a brave and honest man. He was the best friend I ever had and the worse boss. I remember he once said that 'management was the art of finding the five people that hated you and keeping them from the five who were undecided,'" she smiled a little at the memory. "Michael would have had a hard time finding the first five because he leaves behind hundreds of friends and any enemies he had, well, they deserved it. I'll miss him more than I could say. The world seems just that wee bit darker somehow," she paused for a moment look at the casket laid out in front of her. "So Michael wherever you are, above or below, we loved you," she paused to take a deep breath and, taking Robbie and Stuart's hands, found the courage to finally articulate what she had realised only days before: "I loved you."

Her tears began to flow more freely then and she allowed Robbie and Stuart to pull her back as the Minister stepped forward to begin the burial service.

She closed her eyes as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground.

It was over.

Michael was gone.

Later that day she sat in her living room once more, the lights were out but she could just make out the dim outline of her wedding dress where it was sprawled across the back of one of her chairs.

She remembered her dream and her sense of dread from only a few days before. It seemed like a lifetime ago, Michael had been alive then and she had thought she would be happy.

If only she'd known how wrong she was.

His voice echoed in her mind: _"You don't believe in signs."_

"Yes I do, Michael," she whispered, "I believe in them now."

She took another sip of her drink as she regarded the almost ghostly silhouette of her wedding dress and thought about all of her hopes and dreams.

Now lost...forever.


End file.
